Gaming while driving: Tesla allows it, Mercedes does recall

DETROIT – A fewer days aft reports surfaced that Tesla allows drivers to play video games connected dashboard interaction screens portion vehicles are moving, Mercedes-Benz has issued a U.S. callback for a simliar issue.

The German automaker said successful documents posted Friday by U.S. regulators that the contented affected 227 vehicles and already has been fixed by updating an interior machine server.

But the information that Mercedes did the callback implicit concerns astir distracted driving, and Tesla has not, raised questions astir whether national car information standards are being applied arsenic by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

“MB is pursuing the regulatory rules arsenic they are expected to — successful crisp opposition to what we've been seeing from Tesla,” said Philip Koopman, a prof of electrical and machine engineering astatine Carnegie Mellon University. If NHTSA doesn't instrumentality enactment against Tesla, the bureau volition person 1 modular for Tesla and different for Mercedes and different automakers, Koopman said.

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Messages were near Friday seeking remark from NHTSA and from Tesla, which has disbanded its media relations department.

Mercedes said successful documents that connected immoderate 2021 and 2022 EQS and S exemplary vehicles, drivers could entree tv programs and the net portion the vehicles are traveling. The automaker said it intended to disable the features portion the cars are moving, but the recalled vehicles had an incorrect machine configuration.

“If an occupant were to actively prime the relation oregon exertion portion the conveyance is driving, past operator distraction mightiness result, which could summation the hazard of a crash,” the institution wrote successful documents. The recalled cars person progressive and connected “Mercedes me” accounts.

Mercedes wrote that it has nary reports of immoderate crashes oregon injuries from the problem, which was discovered successful a institution conveyance successful Germany.

Last period a Tesla proprietor adjacent Portland, Oregon, filed a ailment with NHTSA aft discovering that portion driving, helium could play video games and browse the net connected the surface of his 2021 Tesla Model 3. The bureau said Thursday that it is communicating with Tesla astir the issue.

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NHTSA already is investigating wherefore Tesla's “Autopilot” partially automated driving strategy keeps crashing into stopped exigency vehicles, and it has inquired astir wherefore Tesla didn't record callback documents erstwhile it did an over-the-air net update successful an effort to code the information problem. It's besides looking into the show of Tesla's “Full Self-Driving” bundle aft getting a ailment that it astir caused a crash.

Tesla says neither strategy tin thrust vehicles and that drivers indispensable beryllium acceptable to intervene astatine each times.

Jason Levine, enforcement manager of the nonprofit Center for Auto Safety, said the car manufacture seems to person reached a constituent with infotainment screens wherever it volition person to “choose whether to beryllium an enabler oregon a preventer" of distracted driving.

"We are gladsome to spot Mercedes callback and repair this unreasonable hazard to everyone connected the road, but would impulse NHTSA to determination rapidly to guarantee that each screen-based amusement distractions are disabled erstwhile vehicles are successful motion, nary substance the manufacturer,” Levine said.

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Mercedes apt is paying adjacent attraction to U.S. information laws aft it had to wage a $13 cardinal punishment to NHTSA successful 2019 for a bid of reporting failures involving recalled vehicles.

The automaker agreed to the outgo and to hole flaws aft the bureau alleged that Mercedes was dilatory to study information problems and wasn't mailing retired callback notification letters rapidly enough.

Mercedes' U.S. portion said astatine the clip that it didn't bash thing incorrect deliberately.

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